The News in Brief
Wednesday, October 15
Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic Integration Minister visits Poland
State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili is in Poland to attend a seminar organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to discuss political and security challenges in Eastern Europe.
The main focus of the 87th Rose-Roth Seminar was ‘Eastern Europe: New Political and Security Challenges’. Here, Petriashvili delivered a speech about Georgia’s consolidation of democracy and progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration process.
The Warsaw event was organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO.
After his speech, Petriashvili addressed participants of the seminar and invited them to ask him questions.
Within his working visit, Minister Petriashvili held bilateral meetings with representatives of the executive and legislative branches of the Polish government. (Agenda.ge)
Investigation launched into Saint Barbare Church vandalism
An investigation is under way into an incident of vandalizing the Saint Barbare Church, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told Interpress News. The ministry cannot elaborate yet on whether anything was stolen from the church or not.
The Saint Barbare Church was vandalized in Tbilisi. According to witnesses, one of the walls of the temple is ruined and everything inside the temple is broken.
"It is a terrible act. One of the walls is ruined. The church was robbed. Everything inside is broken. We will surely demand that the guilty be punished", one of the witnesses said.
Law enforcement officers are working at the scene of the incident. (IPN)
New National Security Council to impose further limits on presidential powers
A new draft on the National Security Council of Georgia will impose further limits on presidential powers.
According to the draft, the government will prepare and present a draft of the National Security Concept of Georgia to the Georgian parliament. Under the current legislation, it is the prerogative of the President.
Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Vakhtang Kmaladze confirmed that the new draft will impose further limits on presidential powers. However, he said that “the new draft is in full compliance with the Constitution”. (Frontnews)
Georgian delegation to take part at CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
A Georgian delegation led by the Tbilisi mayor Davit Narmania has left for Strasburg, France to participate at the 27th plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
During the session, the monitoring group of the Council of Europe will deliver a report on the municipal elections held on June 15 and July 12 in Georgia, Tbilisi City Hall told Trend on Oct.13.
Following this, the meeting participants will hold debates and voting for the resolution on the quality of these elections.
Moreover, Tbilisi mayor is expected to make a speech and analyze the municipal elections in Georgia, as well as talk about the reforms carried out in the country in this sphere.
Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Tengiz Shergelashvili has also been invited to the session as a special guest. During the plenary session, he will brief the participants about the process of carrying out reforms in the sphere of local self-government and the country’s future plans.
During the visit, Narmania is expected to meet with the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Andreas Kiefer and the head of the monitoring group.
The visit of the Georgian delegation to Strasburg will end on Oct.15. (Trend.az)
Seventh jihadist from Pankisi Gorge dies in Syria
One more Georgian jihadist from Pankisi Gorge has been killed in Syria fighting alongside the Islamic State.
22 year old Guram Gumashvili is the seventh rebel fighter from Pankisi to be killed in the Syrian war, according to the Kakheti Information Center, a regional network of journalists.
The report was later confirmed by the deputy head of municipality (Gamgebeli) in Akhmeta, to which Pankisi Gorge belongs, according to news agency Interpressnews.
Gumashvili was killed in a battle in the northern Syrian city of Kobani, which has witnessed the bloodiest fighting between attacking forces from the Islamic State and the Syrian Kurdish militia, which is defending the city.
In September, 18 year old Besik Kushtanashvili, also a Pankisi resident, was killed in Syria. (DF watch)
State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili is in Poland to attend a seminar organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to discuss political and security challenges in Eastern Europe.
The main focus of the 87th Rose-Roth Seminar was ‘Eastern Europe: New Political and Security Challenges’. Here, Petriashvili delivered a speech about Georgia’s consolidation of democracy and progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration process.
The Warsaw event was organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO.
After his speech, Petriashvili addressed participants of the seminar and invited them to ask him questions.
Within his working visit, Minister Petriashvili held bilateral meetings with representatives of the executive and legislative branches of the Polish government. (Agenda.ge)
Investigation launched into Saint Barbare Church vandalism
An investigation is under way into an incident of vandalizing the Saint Barbare Church, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told Interpress News. The ministry cannot elaborate yet on whether anything was stolen from the church or not.
The Saint Barbare Church was vandalized in Tbilisi. According to witnesses, one of the walls of the temple is ruined and everything inside the temple is broken.
"It is a terrible act. One of the walls is ruined. The church was robbed. Everything inside is broken. We will surely demand that the guilty be punished", one of the witnesses said.
Law enforcement officers are working at the scene of the incident. (IPN)
New National Security Council to impose further limits on presidential powers
A new draft on the National Security Council of Georgia will impose further limits on presidential powers.
According to the draft, the government will prepare and present a draft of the National Security Concept of Georgia to the Georgian parliament. Under the current legislation, it is the prerogative of the President.
Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Vakhtang Kmaladze confirmed that the new draft will impose further limits on presidential powers. However, he said that “the new draft is in full compliance with the Constitution”. (Frontnews)
Georgian delegation to take part at CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
A Georgian delegation led by the Tbilisi mayor Davit Narmania has left for Strasburg, France to participate at the 27th plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
During the session, the monitoring group of the Council of Europe will deliver a report on the municipal elections held on June 15 and July 12 in Georgia, Tbilisi City Hall told Trend on Oct.13.
Following this, the meeting participants will hold debates and voting for the resolution on the quality of these elections.
Moreover, Tbilisi mayor is expected to make a speech and analyze the municipal elections in Georgia, as well as talk about the reforms carried out in the country in this sphere.
Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Tengiz Shergelashvili has also been invited to the session as a special guest. During the plenary session, he will brief the participants about the process of carrying out reforms in the sphere of local self-government and the country’s future plans.
During the visit, Narmania is expected to meet with the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Andreas Kiefer and the head of the monitoring group.
The visit of the Georgian delegation to Strasburg will end on Oct.15. (Trend.az)
Seventh jihadist from Pankisi Gorge dies in Syria
One more Georgian jihadist from Pankisi Gorge has been killed in Syria fighting alongside the Islamic State.
22 year old Guram Gumashvili is the seventh rebel fighter from Pankisi to be killed in the Syrian war, according to the Kakheti Information Center, a regional network of journalists.
The report was later confirmed by the deputy head of municipality (Gamgebeli) in Akhmeta, to which Pankisi Gorge belongs, according to news agency Interpressnews.
Gumashvili was killed in a battle in the northern Syrian city of Kobani, which has witnessed the bloodiest fighting between attacking forces from the Islamic State and the Syrian Kurdish militia, which is defending the city.
In September, 18 year old Besik Kushtanashvili, also a Pankisi resident, was killed in Syria. (DF watch)